


No Need for Pity Milkshakes

by Teapawtsssss



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Akaashi Keji is so Gay, Alternate Universe - College/University, Based on a Tumblr Post, Fluff, M/M, Not Beta Read, Pining Akaashi Keiji, Volleyball Dorks in Love, We Die Like Men, im new to this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-13
Updated: 2020-02-13
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:53:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,912
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22692085
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Teapawtsssss/pseuds/Teapawtsssss
Summary: When Akaashi is stood up on a date he's ready to leave, milkshake or not. But Bokuto Koutarou knew his name and kissed him on the cheek and brought him flowers. Akaashi was freaking out.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou
Comments: 12
Kudos: 211





	No Need for Pity Milkshakes

**Author's Note:**

> So um, Hello. I found the prompt for this on tumblr. You can fine me @ a decent writer there. Come fangirl with me, i'd really enjoy the company.

The feelings he went through felt like the stages of grief. When he realized this, after going through most of the spectrum, he silently cursed his roommate for rubbing off on him. A thought that dramatic sounded more like something up Oikawa’s alley than his.

Around the fifteen-minute mark. It was denial. Maybe his date was held up in traffic, but then he probably would have called. Maybe an emergency came up and he was so busy that he forgot to call? At this time Akaashi still had the patience to wait it out, after all, he had already decided what to order.

At thirty minutes, the only buzz his phone bothered to make was from a notification from Sugawara about buying some more eggs. He began to consider that maybe Friday night was a bad time to schedule a date. There could be better things to do, like study or go to parties with friends instead of meeting a guy that you had been shooting glances at across the lecture hall. It was about this time that he had begun noticing the stares he was getting from the other patrons of the lounge he had decided on for dinner. First it had been curiosity, then some sadness and now he just felt the abject pity radiating from the others on his behalf. It was appreciated but not welcomed so Akaashi ignored it.

At forty-five he was pissed. He had actually tried for this man. In his opinion, Akaashi looked hot; lack of humility aside. He tried today. He spent hours trying on clothes to flatter his thin frame and in colors that complimented his eyes. He’d even gotten a second opinion. He had subjected himself to teasing from both his roommates for nothing. He had spent fifteen minutes perfecting his eyeliner and evening out his skin tone for nothing. There were a lot of things Akaashi did not know for sure. For example, he wasn’t sure what he was going to eat for dinner on most nights or what strange thoughts ran through Oikawa’s head on a daily basis. He didn't know how many miles it was to the sun or the termite population of Japan, but he knew, with one hundred percent certainty, that tonight he looked hot and boys sucked. Being of the male specimen himself, he was also sure of his own opinion. He’s starting to feel like an idiot

The restaurant he chose was about three blocks away from the university, making it a great hangout spot for college students who wanted a quick, decent meal for cheap. Unfortunately, the soft ambiance and live band meant that it was also a good spot for date nights. He thought that his date would prefer something familiar and he knew for certain that this was a place that he frequented often. Akaashi would know, he worked there. Like always, the place was busy. There were couples dancing on the floor and more couples lounging together arm in arm by the bar and cuddling together in booths. He was getting tired of looking at them and it wasn’t even his shift.

“Umm, Akaashi-san, are you sure you’re not ready to order yet?”

Yamaguchi Tadashi sounded scared and Akaashi felt guilty. But this was the fifth time that his coworkers had come to ask him something similar and Akaashi felt his annoyance spike. First it had been Yaku, who was ever pleasant, then came Moniwa, then Kiyoko, then Semi, who had looked at Akaashi like he was a starving puppy, pet him on the shoulder, then came back a few minutes later with a complimentary milkshake.

“On behalf of the wait staff” Akaashi had scowled, he liked Semi and everyone who worked at the quaint dive lounge but there was no way in hell he was drinking a pity milkshake. Pity milkshakes were for dweebs.

Akaashi sighed, unwilling to take it out on the freckled boy and began to stand, waving him off “it’s okay, I'll just pay for the milkshake and be off”

The minute he tried to slide out of his seat he was almost bowled over a blur of back and grey that slid into his side of the booth. He feels a kiss being planted on his cheek and a bouquet of flowers being pushed into his hands.

“Akaashi! Work got out late today. Then the usual route home got blocked for some reconstruction. I’d been meaning to call but I forgot to charge my phone last night at it died on me,” he leaned into Akaashi, lips brushing the shell of his ear, “roll with it for now”

“Um, Maybe I'll give you guys another minute or so.”

Akaashi was so confused that he couldn’t even answer poor Tadashi but he didn’t have to because the stranger sent the young waiter off with exuberant thank yous

The other boy turned to face him as soon as Yamaguchi has left “Hi, I'm Bokuto Koutarou”

Akaashi knew who Bokuto Koutarou was. He was a regular patron at the pub with Kuroo, Akaashi’s pain-in-the-ass seatmate from English Language. He just didn't know what the star athlete of the university volleyball team was doing sitting alarmingly, wonderfully close to him in a lounge that looked designed for going on dates. At this angle and in this lighting his face was beautiful with sharp jaws and cheeks and brilliant golden eyes. Akaashi was so, very gay. He had definitely seen him from afar, being a star on the court, up close Akaashi couldn’t help but think that Bokuto was cute. He had an unconventional hairstyle, the silver streaked hair spiked up in such a way to suggest that he tried to make it look as natural as possible but failed and gave up. It seems to work for him, getting the hair out of his face and accentuating a strong, sturdy cheekbones and slight nose. Bokuto Koutarou knows his name and kissed him on the cheek and brought him flowers. Akaashi was freaking out.

Once Yamaguchi was out of sight the man moved to the other side of the booth. He seemed to sense Akaashi staring and looked up, golden eyes meeting his own green and lighting up with a smile. With his attention full on Akaashi, the black-haired boy remembered the first time seeing the man.

Bokuto Koutarou, right wing spiker on the University volleyball team. Akaashi had gone to one of their games on behalf of Oikawa. In the setter’s own words, “Iwa-chan can’t take time off school so Aka-Chan and Refreshing-kun are the next best thing,”

Suga rolled his eyes and agreed but Akaashi had stared at his roommate, wondering whether to dignify that with a response until he saw the flicker of real sadness in the other’s eyes and caved. The first thing he learned about the other setter was that the brown-haired man would give up anything to make sure his boyfriend would not have to worry about him on top of heavy school assignments and a busy work schedule. Oikawa would give his all starting for the first time no matter how disappointed he was when his boyfriend couldn't make it to cheer him on. He knew no amount of convincing would make Oikawa believe that Iwaizumi-san would come even if he had to skip a day of class right before an important exam or take a few hours off work. Akaashi thought his roommate was being an idiot and he was sure Sugawara agreed.

However, watching Oikawa, Akaashi was transfixed by the way he seemed to use each player to their full potential any time he was on the court. Oikawa was everything Akaashi had ever hoped to be on the court. He also remembered thinking that Oikawa’s wing spiker seemed like a star. It was like the attention of the crowd was drawn to him. He radiated an infectious enthusiasm, grinning widely and crowing loudly when he scored, slapping a high five when another had a good play and boosting yet another’s spirit when he missed an easy receive.

“Was there anything you wanted?” Akaashi blinked out of his reminiscing. He had to keep himself from fidgeting with his fingers under Bokuto’s intense gaze, cursing himself internally for being unusually tongue-tied.

Bokuto looks into his lap, “Sorry. Kuroo’s told me I tend to ramble.”

“How do you know my name?”

“Oh, um I asked that guy over there,”

He points to Yaku, who waves and gives Akaashi a wink.

“Don’t you have practice Bokuto-san?”

Bokuto blinked, then brightened even more. Akaashi wondered how that was possible.

“You know who I am?”

It wasn’t like Akaashi could tell him that he had seen him a single time on the volleyball court and remembered him from the first game of his first year. He hadn’t had time to make it to anymore volleyball games in person, but he keeps tabs on the university YouTube Channel just to watch snippets of the Volleyball matches. Telling Bokuto Koutarou that he had wonderful dreams about his upper body was probably a little bit creepy.

“Oikawa-san mentions you from time to time” Akaashi says instead and it's not untrue. He hears many varied complaints about “Tetsu-chan” and also quite a few about “Kou-chan”.

“Really?” he asks like an excited child and with his hairstyle, Keji can help but be reminded of a bird fluffing out its feathers, “what does he say?”

“He wonders if “Kou-chan can stop flapping about like an excited bird’” Bokuto deflates and develops the cutest furrow between his expressive eyebrows.

“I can’t believe that jerk complained about me to his roommates. I didn’t know He had another roommate besides Suga”

“Complaints are how Oikawa shows affection,” Akaashi says sagely and Bokuto nods, “and I moved in a few months ago. I’m never home. Bokuto-san, I'm sorry if this sounds a bit rude but, why are you here?

“Akaashi” he complains, elongating the last syllable into a whine “Bokuto-san sounds like my dad, can’t you drop the san, we’re friends now”

 _I don’t remember agreeing to that_ , Akaashi thinks, but he doesn't say it out loud because he does find himself genuinely enjoying Bokuto’s company

Bokuto suddenly sobers and drops his gaze, rubbing a hand against the back of his neck. He mumbles something that Akaashi can't make out over the din of the restaurant and asks Bokuto to repeat it. The spiker's mouth moves again but Akaashi still can’t hear what he’s saying. He has to ask Bokuto so speak up quite a few times before the spiker abruptly sits up straight.

“You looked lonely and you’re too pretty to be sitting alone for so long,” Bokuto booms shoulders drooping, hands flying to his hair making it spike up even more, “It must seem so weird that I just sat at your booth. And gave you a cheek kiss. OMG like, it is so weird. But, um, you looked so sad and it's been the third time a waiter’s come over. Plus, there were some people making fun of you over there. They said you kinda looked like a loser. That sounded kinda mean and I don't think you were a loser. But I guess it’s still kinda weird- Please don’t leave.”

Akaashi freezes in his shuffling. He didn’t really want Bokuto to leave. He figured hanging out with Bokuto was better than returning to his apartment early in defeat and He found Bokuto’s apology charming. He was saved from speaking further by Yamaguchi as he came back with some water for them both. Akaashi raises an eyebrow and tries and fails not to blush at the compliments. He’s distinctly glad that the lighting in the diner was too low for Bokuto to see,

“how long have you been here?”

“Kuroo and I have been here for the past two hours. Coach gave all of us a day off for the three-day weekend because there’s a game coming up and we decided to spend it here. I saw you walk in. And I’m here a lot so I see you around” he says this not looking Akaashi in the eye, “you’re so pretty and Kuroo bet me a drink if I went up and talked to you but like I wanted to anyways and I would have done it without the drink but like it was obvious you were waiting for someone, so I didn't want to interrupt your date but like then the jerk stood you up and I thought you.” when he paused so did the wild, big gestures he made with his hands “you seemed super embarrassed that someone, you know, stood you up.” he paused again, taking in Akaashi's look of disbelief “I would have done sooner but I thought I should get you some flowers because no one...” He explained.

Akaashi didn’t hear the rest of the story, instead his brain was busy trying to figure out how to respond. Bokuto Koutarou thought he was pretty. And he couldn’t help but think it was kind of sweet that Bokuto had considered getting him flowers. It was a bouquet of sunflowers which were coincidentally, Akaashi’s favorite. This situation felt like something straight out of a romance novel, something so improbable that his future children would want to hear the story over and over again because it was just that dreamy. A cute boy had just rescued him from a night of wallowing in self-pity. That same boy had called him cute and pretty and brought him flowers and the thought made Akaashi smile like an idiot, warmth seeping into him from somewhere deep in the abyss.

He could hear Bokuto pause and looked up from where he was grinning at the decorative center piece. He looked at the spiker then to find gold eyes fixed on him for the third time that night. He had a dazed look on his face and Akaashi smoothed his own into an impassive mask, a single eyebrow raised, thoughts racing.

“Wanna go do something else?”

Akaashi blinks, “huh”

“Um” he hurries to say, “We don’t have to if you don’t want to. I mean we just met like fifteen minutes ago and it was super weird, but you work here so I thought maybe you would like a change of scenery.” the ending of his explanation sounds like a question. As if akaashi wouldn’t want to go do something with bokuto. Akaashi wants to laugh. But that would be inappropriate in the context of the situation.

“The market is set up on the campus green today. It’s closing soon but maybe we can find something last minute?”

Bokuto’s eyes are wide and so is his grin “that's a great idea Akaashi. Let me pay for your milkshake then we can go”

“It’s okay Bokuto-san. My coworkers got it for me”

Bokuto’s cheeks expand into a pout “Akaashi” he whines, “I wanted to be a good senpai”

 _Make out with my face_. His brain supplies. Akaashi tells his brain to be quiet.

As they get up Akaashi gives Bokuto’s shoulder a little pat and the older boy blushes red. It’s adorable and Akaashi thinks that he could spend all day making Bokuto blush if he looked that charming. Of course, he would never let Bokuto know that. They’re heading out the door and Bokuto strides a little further ahead, hands in his pockets and walking with a confident, bubbly swagger to his steps. Akaashi follows a little bit behind, not struggling to keep up and keeping pace all the same. He’s glad Kyoko’s the one at the kiosk by the door. If there were Semi, there would be hands thrown and Akaashi didn’t think that Bokuto would hold up very well once Yahaba got a real glare going. The waitress only raises her eyebrow in an impressive arch and it only takes a moment of eye contact to understand that they would be going over this situation over tea the next day.

He keeps us a steady stream of conversation going as they head over to campus. His thoughts leap from one thing to another so fast that AkaashI couldn’t really keep up. Even so, every so often he hums out an agreement or disagreement depending on bokuto’s tone. He doesn't particularly mind, Bokuto’s voice is beyond the idea of quiet but Akaashi enjoys the low timbre and the random inflections that the older boy puts into his words

“Like do crabs see fish as birds because they're like above them. And if so, then like are nets and fishing things like aliens to all of them?”

“Hm?”

“Akaashiiiii were you even listening?”

He’s saved from answering that, no he hadn’t been listening because he had been too busy liking the way Bokuto talked. The older boy is distracted by the stalls on the green. It’s one of Akaashi’s favorite places to be on a Friday night; ts lively and colorful and a much better place to go on a date. He’s friends with the old auntie who makes the best onigiri and always saved an extra for him. She’s closing up for the evening when they find her stall and she smiles when she sees Akaashi

“My best customer,” She says, grin sly, “And a guest Keji-kun?”

“Hello” Bokuto echoes, bouncing lightly on his toes, golden eyes scanning the booth. He reminded Akaashi of an owl, the way he turned his head back and forth, obviously looking to see if the kind old lady had extra onigiri at the end of the day. Unsurprisingly she only had six left and both boys took it gratefully. Akaashi didn’t realize how hungry he was until he had a bite and melted from the inside out.

When they pulled out their money to pay, she forcefully waved them off.

“They were the crap ones anyway, my grandson made them, plays volleyball too you know,” Neither Akaashi nor Bokuto were inclined to agree with her, everything that the lady made was onigiri perfection, but they never voiced their dissent. Akaashi can still feel the secondhand embarrassment from the last time he had chosen to argue. Onigiri in hand, they venture off to the rest of the market. 

Bokuto bounces up to each stand or stall, infinitely interested in everything that the vendor had to offer, reaching out a tentative hand to touch whatever was on display, the other wrapped around Akaashi’s fingers.

He had blushed the first time, when he had grabbed Akaashi’s free hand with the intention to drag him to a stall that had left over dorayaki. He had pulled away so quickly that Akaashi only had time to blink down and muse that Bokuto’s had been so very warm.

“I’m sorry,” Bokuto had yelped in panic, like he would scare Akaashi away with a premature show of intimacy.

Akaashi didn’t mind. He didn’t think he would ever mind, “It's okay,”

It happened again and again and each time Bokuto took longer to pull away and eventually neither of them had bothered letting go. Why would he need to when Akaashi would need to tug a little bit to let Bokuto know where to go? Why would Akaashi want to when Boktuo swung their hands together when they walked and Bokuto gave Akaashi a squeeze whenever he got excited. Akaashi doesn't say much, having made these visits multiple times but Bokuto is entranced by everything from food to weird trinkets to the kid’s toys. He is content to watch his upperclassman flit from stall to stall. Many of the vendors give Akaashi a suggestive smile when they see him with one hand in Bokuto’s and and his sunflowers tucked in the elbow of the other arm. They would chuckle as Bokuto manages to charm them out of an edible freebie and watch bemusedly as he would hold it out to Akaashi with the cutest, “Say ahh Akaashi” because obviously Akaashi had both hands occupied. Each one sends Akaashi a grin when he takes a bite.

...

It was almost midnight by the time they reached Akaashi’s apartment, stuffed from the food and giddy on the thrill of midnight. Bokuto was hugging a giant plush owl that he had seen hanging and immediately decided he had to have. At the time Akaashi had giggled behind his hand and agreed with the uncle, who had given it to the excited wing spiker because he had noticed the resemblance it bore to the person carrying it.

The thought made him sad to leave. Tonight had genuinely been one of the best dates that Akaashi had ever been on, even if his date has not been who he originally intended. He wasn’t even sure it was classified as a date, but he wanted it so badly. He enjoyed his time with Bokuto, had felt like his evening had been warmed by his own miniature sun and he didn’t want to let go of it so soon. But his apartment loomed, and the sidewalk was getting shorter.

Bokuto is shifting from foot to foot squeezing and releasing the owl plush. However, his eyes dart around as if looking for advice, but he seems to find it and thrusts the owl at Akaashi who startles and almost drops it as it’s shoved into his hands.

“I want you to have this, so you can look at it and think of me”

Akaashi rolls his eyes; as if he would ever consider it but doesn't say no. It really is a cute plush. He turns to leave but Bokuto’s vice rings out, loud in the quiet, “Um Akaashi”

“Hm?”

The feeling of lips on his is painfully short. Akaashi dies a little bit inside when Bokuto pulls away and starts belting out a long stream of apologies, abruptly turning on his heel, making towards where Akaashi assumed he lived

Oh hell no. Before he goes too far, Akaashi strides towards him, more confident than he’d felt all night, grabs Bokuto by the collar of his jacket and crushes his lips to his own. It’s by no means a neat kiss but it's a kiss that Akaashi has been dreaming of. It was a kiss that he wished could have been his first, rather than a messy clash of teeth in high school when he was still figuring things out. Bokuto is hesitant at first, shy under Akaashi’s demanding mouth. But he gains confidence, settling his broad hands on Akaashi’s waist and matching Akaashi’s incessant nips with long, languid movements of his mouth. Akaashi lets go of Bokuto’s jacket in favor of burying his fingers into the spiker's hair, which was admittedly crunchy but softer than it looked. It pleased him that Bokuto let out a contented hum when Akaashi moved his fingers higher and tugged ever so slightly. Boktuo pulls him in tighter and Akaashi can feel sturdy arms around his back and leans slightly into them, trusting Boktuo to support his weight. Akaashi didn’t think he’d forget this kiss and this evening, and he’d be damned if he didn’t make sure that this star of a human didn’t forget him too.

When Bokuto pulls away again Akaashi lets him, unfortunately also needing oxygen to breathe, but he doesn’t go far, only leaning back enough for their noses to graze each other’s

“So, we can do this again?”

Akaashi huffs affectionately and nods, “yes”

“Hell yeah!”

“Bokuto san, it's late, please be quiet”

“Sorry Akaashi.”


End file.
